C.A. Gray is a
bestselling author of YA trilogies with a focus on blending
scientific concepts like quantum physics and neuroscience.
Her
action-packed stories avoid graphic content but don't shy away from high stakes.
Aside from writing, she practices naturopathic medicine
and hosts a podcast.
In her spare time, she enjoys crafting, listening to audio books, and studying the Bible.
Author: Ariel Lawhon
Publisher: Anchor
ISBN: 978-1101973318
Author: Ariel Lawhon
Publisher: Anchor
ISBN: 978-1101973318
Based on the creativity and prose of the book, I’d give it 5 stars. Based on my enjoyment of it, I’d give it three… so I’m splitting the difference.
I have been fascinated by the story of Anastasia, especially since I saw the musical rendition. I didn’t really know a great deal about the actual history though, only the legends that Princess Anastasia might have escaped with her life while the rest of her family was executed during the Bolshevik Revolution. The musical version was very much like if the story had been turned into a Disney princess movie. I think that’s what I thought I was getting.
…Not so much. This was a creative retelling, based on the claims of Anna Anderson, whom I gather was the most convincing if not the only person who claimed to be Princess Anastasia, post-assassination attempt.
But it was told in a very creative way: Anna’s story is told backwards, from when she is in her 70s at the beginning of the story, all the way until she is in her 20s at the end of the story. In alternate chapters, Anastasia’s story is told in chronological order, beginning from a few months prior to the family’s execution. I should have anticipated that this would mean it would get gruesome at the end, and I did to a point, but… not to this extent. At the end of the book, there’s rape (shown in a fade-to-black kind of way, but still), torture, attempted suicide, and a long drawn out murder scene. Definitely not my usual reading fare, and had I not already been 85% through the book before I hit all of that, I definitely would have stopped reading. But by then, I really wanted to know… were Anna and Anastasia the same person?
The book was set up to really make it seem like the answer had to be yes…
It was very compellingly written, and the prose was so gorgeous that I highlighted numerous character descriptions and put them in my character notebook for future reference. Even so, I don’t know if I could actually recommend the book, unless the reader has a stronger stomach than I do.